Manufacture of catalysts.



added a solution RAYMOND F. BACON AND BENJAMIN H. NICOLET, 0FPITTSBURGH, ASSIGNORS T0 ACME MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,PORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ILLINOIS, A con.-

MANUFACTURE OF CATALYSTS.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to the manufacture I of a catalyst for thehydrogenation of fatty acids or their glycerids.

The invention consists in impregnating an inert, porous supportingmaterial or carrier, preferably pulverulent, such as kieselguhr,powdered pumice, fullers-earth, or the like, with a precipitant for anickel salt. Such precipitant may be, for instance, any suitable solublehydroxid or carbonate, such as sodium hydroxid, and, in accordance withthe invention, it will likewise be associated with a small quantity of asubstance which will give a bulky precipitate simultaneously with theprecipitation of the nickel salt. This supplemental substance may be,for example, sodium aluminate, and the'bulkycprecipitate therefrom willin such case be aluminum hydroxid.- To the support or carrier thusimpregnated with the precipitant -for nickel and the supplementalprecipitant, is of an appropriate soluble nickel salt, as, for instance,the nitrate. Thereupon, the nickel salt is precipitated as nickelhydroxid by the sodium hydroxid or its equivalent upon and within thecatalyst. At the same time, there is simultaneously precipitated thesupplemental bulky material by the decomposition of the sodiumaluminate. .This supplemental bulky material (in thiscase, aluminumhydroxid) further increases the surface of exposure of the catalyst. Theimpregnated support or carrier is then washed to remove any injurioussoluble products that may be present, and is thereafter dried and theinsoluble nickel salt reduced to catalytically active nickel, at atemperature which preferably should not exceed a range of from 350 C. to450 C.

Specification of Letters Patent.

residing at No. 4909 tween the fatty Patented @ept. '1, 1915..

Application filed November 4, 1914. Serial N 0. 870,190.

and with a duration of treatment of from one to two hours. It is evidentthat the solution of the nickel salt might have been absorbed by thesupport, and'the product so obtained made to react with the solution ofaluminate and other precipitant, but in that case, such action wouldhave been less efiect1ve.

While, as hereinbefore indicated,we prefer to employ pulverulentmaterial as the support or carrier for the nickel salt, we

'may likewise employ a support or carrier of larger grain, the feasiblesize of the particles depending upon the facilities at hand for bringingabout. a satisfactory changing rmmsxmm contact, in the hydrogenatingoperation, be 7 material, the hydrogen and the particles of thecatalyst. The term finely divided, as employed in the claims, isintended, therefore, to include not only a pulverulent carrier, but alsoone of such larger grain or size as it is feasible to maintain insuspension in the fatty material during hydrogenation.

As an example of the manner of carrying out the process described, 100lbs. of the desired carrier, say pumice stone in small fragments, isimpregnated with a solution containing 65 lbs. sodium hydroxid, andsodium aluminate equivalent to 5 lbs. aluminum oxid; the precipitatingsolution containin 165 lbs. crystallized nickel nitrate. The product isfiltered, washed to remove soluble salts, or most of them, and reducedfor two hours, preferably between 350 C. and 450 C. The catalyst made asdescribed should contain about 25% nickel, and about 5% pulpy aluminumoxid.

What we claim is:

1. The method of producing a catalyst for the hydrogenation of fattyacids or their glycerids, which consists in impregnating a nely-dividedcarrier, with a precipitant for a nickel salt, and a salt forsimultaneously precipitating in the. carrier a supplemental bulkymaterial, then adding a nickel salt solution, whereupon the desiredprecipitation of an insoluble nickel salt is obtained together with thedesired precipitation of the bulky supplemental constituent, and fin-'ally reducing the insoluble nickel salt to a catalytically active state;substantially as described.

2. The method of producing a catalyst for droxid to a catalyticallyactive state; sub- 10 the hydrogenation of fatty acids or theirstantially as described. glycerids, which consists in impregnating a Intestimony whereof we aflix our signanely divided carrier with sodiumhydroxid tures, in presence of two witnesses. 3 and sodium aluminate,then adding a solu- RAYMOND F. BACON.

tion 'of nitrate of nickel, whereupon the BENJAMIN H. NICOLET. nickelwill be precipitated as nickel hy- Witnesses: droxid, and the aluminum.as aluminum hy- R. R. SHIVELY,

droxid, and finally reducing the nickel hy- J. F. CHANGE.

